Reason #1: Low refrigerant

Refrigerant absorbs heat from inside your home and dumps it outdoors. So if your AC is low on refrigerant, less heat is removed from the air, making it feel warm.

If you have low refrigerant, you may notice ice forming or a hissing noise (sound of refrigerant escaping) somewhere along the refrigerant lines.

What causes low refrigerant?

Your AC doesn’t use up refrigerant like a car uses up gas so the cause of low refrigerant is a leak.

What should I do?

Call a professional to determine if you have a refrigerant leak. If you do, they should find and seal the leak before adding more refrigerant.

Reason #2: Dirty Evaporator Coils

The evaporator coil is filled with refrigerant that absorbs heat when air passes through them. This results in cool air that is pushed into your home.

But if the coils are covered in a thick layer of dirt, they can’t remove as much heat from the air, which is why the air from your AC feels warm instead of cool.

What causes dirty coils?

Evaporator coils get dirty when air filters are not regularly replaced or if your air filter isn’t catching enough airborne contaminants. This causes dust and dirt to build up on your evaporator coils.

What should I do?

Most of the time, your evaporator coils are located in the attic or basement so we don’t recommend trying to clean the coils yourself. Leave it to an AC technician who can also change your air filter, if needed.